It is a great honour to join other well- meaning Kwarans, home and abroad, to celebrate the 70th birthday anniversary of our iconic father Dr. Alimi AbdulRazaq.
Dr. Alimi is a towering figure in our country ( Nigeria). In Kwara, we know his worth at a personal level.
No one is born perfect, no one exemplifies perfection but the Mutawalli of Ilorin comes close to that. Though aristocratic in look, he in conscientious, affable down -to- earth simple and imbubed with uncommon wisdom. If you follow his political trajectory, you will understand and appreciate that he is very effective in political management.
I have a personal father figure relationship with Mutawallin. My rise to sudden political prominence 25 years ago has his imprimatur.
He was a ladder my team used to climb to political glory at the National Convention of the then ruling party, People’s, Democratic Party ( PDP) in 2001 . At that convention in Abuja , I was elected the Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Party, the highest position ceded to Kwara then.
It was a high stake battle. It was tough enough that my foray into politics started from seeking office at the very top ladder of the party- the National Executive Committee ( the party’s highest elective organ).
My situation was not helped by the opposition to my candidature mounted by two influential Kwarans in Abuja
However, by the stroke of luck, my political soul mate and confidant, late Ahmed Ahman Pategi ( May Allah grant him Aljanah), Kwara State PDP Chairman uncovered the hire wire plot against my candidature. I was stunned because the people concerned were supposed to be my mentors.
The same Ahman discovered an antidote to the plot: late Chief Tony Aneneh
Back then, Chief Anenih called the shots in PDP; his, words were the law in the party. For that 2001 convention, he was the master planner. If you got into his list, your victory at the convention was assured.
Ahman discovered Dr. Alimi’s closeness to Chief Anineh and got him to lead us to Mr. Fix It’s residence in Abuja.
Chief Anenih asked just one question : ” Is this the person Kwara wants?”. He got an affirmative answer.
And that was it; I got elected – to the conternation of my powerful opponents.
Was I surprised about Dr. Alimi’s support for my candidature? Yes. He did it for Kwara but the speed was unbelievable . But it was also probably a payback.
Dr. Alimi was the governorship candidate of PDP in Kwara state in 1999. I was then the influential Editor -in- Chief/ Chief Executive of The Herald Newspapers. I was not a party person , I was not in partisan politics. But I rooted for Dr. Alimi and didn’t hide my preference. On the day of the election, I monitored with him the returns from the field at the AbdulRazaq’s family house in Surulere.
He lost the election and the backlash against me by the Lawal/Saraki team lingered for long and contributed to my voluntary exit from The Herald later.
During my tenure as PDP national officer, I related very well with Dr. Alimi but I was closer to his younger brother, AbduRahman AbdulRazaq, a deft political player back then.
Dr. Alimi missed being Kwara’s elected Chief Executive but the younger brother who has been the Governor for over seven years has, through his outstanding performance in office , brought pride to the AbdulRazaq’s family brand.
Dr. Alimi is not just the patriach of the AbdulRazaq’s family, he is the quiet Godfather in Kwara’s political arena .
To be sure, he is not a conventional Godfather: no airs, no mercurial displays, His affability makes it easy for party chieftains to seek his interventions where and when necessary.
I have had the privilege of unending mentorship from Dr. Alimi. He brings to my notice and seeks explanation on matters concerning me; he seeks my views on critical issues and guides me conscientiously. .
Dr. Alimi’s 70th birthday anniversary is a milestone. May Allah continue His favours on him, grant him long life in good health. Ameen.
Happy birthday, the sage of our time.
**Oloriewe Raheem Adedoyin,
APC Chieftain and former Commissioner for Information, Kwara State
